Brad's statement above sums up my views and conclusions pretty well. I accepted the situation as it existed, and found work-arounds to remedy the gaps and imperfections. Brad's brainchilds are another large step forward in this particular situation. Are the flaring tools "faster" than the flaring punches? They might be, if operated by someone more dextrous than I am. For me, the two methods are about a dead heat, time-wise. After a LOT of use of both methods, my thoughts are that Brad's tools offer the potential for more consistency more easily achieved, and I backed that belief up with the a purchase of 5 more snap-in "wedges".